WHAT IS THE BUY PILE?

Every week Hannibal Tabu (winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt/2018-2019 City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Trailblazer/blogger/novelist/poet/jackass on Twitter/head honcho of Komplicated) takes on between seven to thirteen reviews (or so) to share his opinions with you. Thursday afternoons you'll be able to get those thoughts (and they're just the opinions of one guy, so calm down) about all of that ... which goes something like this ...

THE BUY PILE FOR JULY 31, 2019

Ice Cream Man #13 (Image Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. This is one of the most interesting books out this year, let alone this week. Done as a complete palindrome -- meaning that if you read it from the start or from the end, it tells the exact same story -- it's a relentlessly thorough exhibition of craft. Not just writing, but drawing it in such immaculate detail is an onerous task of the highest order. Check the work -- it's a perfectly balanced palindrome, littered with smaller ones within. Now, the "how" and "why" of what actually happens is virtually indecipherable and there's really only one monologuing character to speak of, but this issue is worth having as an artifact, like G.I. Joe #21 or some of the David Mack Daredevil books about Echo (admittedly they’re meatier than this, but still). This is an example of the boundaries of the art form, and that's fascinating no matter what the actual story (or lack thereof) would be. Kudos to the likely exhausted creative team of W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O'Halloran and Good Old Neon. RATING: BUY.

RELATED: Steve Rogers Hangs Up Captain America's Shield Again to Become [REDACTED]

Red Sonja Lord Of Fools #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)

<i>Red Sonja Lord Of Fools</i> #1
You won't be indifferent to the brilliance of Red Sonja Lord Of Fools #1.

Jump from the Read Pile. One of the problems with many fantasy comics is that they lack depth. Slash this, run here, yell at that person -- many of those tales aren't really doing anything that speaks to actual lives. This issue has next to no Red Sonja actually in it, true, but it is steeped in emotional honesty, storytelling craft and character detail and development. The first of these two stories deftly explains the root of the entire problem plaguing the normal series, a self-contained story that concisely delivers rich characterization for three characters while framing them in a compact plot and delving into one of this world's religious beliefs. The second is an amusing parable about the lies we tell ourselves and how inconvenient truths are often treated. Writer Mark Russell imbues each page with nuance and fascination while the chameleon-like artwork of Bob Q, Katie O'Meara, Dearbhla Kelly and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou bring you into this realm of swords, sorcery and sorrow. RATING: BUY

Powers Of X #1 doesn't feel like a story, but like a court case, presenting exhibits of evidence to show that Magneto was right, that (angry) Cyclops was right, that (current) Xavier was right and the hatred and xenophobia of westernized humanity was, in fact, widely regarded as a bad move that made a lot of people very angry. The issue bounces through literally hundreds of years of proposed Marvel history (swinging by some days of future past that may not be unfamiliar) with relentless detail and scant characterization. You'll need this as a reference work, perhaps, if you can't reach the wiki entries this will surely inspire, but you may not need it today as a comic book in your hand. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

RELATED: Guardians of the Galaxy Finally Makes a Major MCU Romance Canon

Killers #1 was very, very close to getting a ride home with super engaging visuals and by focusing on two compelling characters, giving them lots of chances to be impressive. Fans of Valiant know Ninja-K, the masked mystery man who fights alongside some of the company's biggest names. Less has been said about two of his retired MI-6 predecessors, Ninja-G operating in the 1970s (who, obnoxiously, does not drive a Jaguar) and Ninja-K (who, likewise, has the nerve to not be named "Jack") have been targeted by anonymous masked assailants in high-profile attacks. G, as she is called, wants answers (and likely revenge) and tracks down K. There are two reasons why this book didn't make the jump: first of all the cannon fodder, cookie cutter antagonists would barely be a threat to Snapper Carr, and therefore don't have any real "oomph" to their opposition to the leads. Second, the ending is so abrupt that just when the most compelling conversation in the book is getting good ... it's over. That's a stop, but it's not a conclusion. It will be very interesting to see if this can pick up the baton next issue and run with it. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

GLOW #4 is 100% on brand as the ladies have ridiculous antics, sexual innuendo, big dramatic matches, yelling, misunderstandings and Annie's pluckiness pushing it every step of the way. As the final pages of a collected version, this will likely be super engaging, but this didn't feel quite substantive enough for the monthly market. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Star Wars Age Of Resistance Special #1 had two stories that weren't bad showcasing two of the new women of Star Wars in a really good light. First, you see Maz Kanata as a straight up action heroine with a gun in each hand and a mission that Chirrut Imwe would approve. Then, Amilyn Holdo once again overcomes the diminished expectations of people who forget that a junior senator helped overthrow the Empire. Both of these stories have some epic and brilliant moments, but are all too short to satisfy, especially with the final story featuring BB-8 just making the mark of acceptable (again showing the First Order as a limp antagonist). Not bad, but each of the first two stories should have been an issue unto themselves. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

RELATED: Star Wars Reveals the Origin of Admiral Holdo's Big Last Jedi Move

Green Lantern Annual #1 was a swing and a miss as Hal Jordan goes home for a many-layered family event that goes drastically, surreally wrong. Was it an invasion from the fifth dimension or something more mundane? Was it both? If you squint hard and maybe read back a page or two, you'll be able to follow along, but it isn't easy (not necessarily a knock) but some predictable bits about teenage metahumans sneak in that may get a "sad trombone" sound in your head. Not bad, but perhaps not exactly ready for prime time. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Captain America #12 wants to be a Greatest Hits collection but instead turns up some cult favorite b-sides. The titular hero is (again) forced out of the identity he's fought to regain and steps into another (no, he's not Nomad again ... probably) in a navel gazing issue that spends a lot of time talking and very little doing. The last page reveal is ... well, drastically unexpected if we have any similarity to cinematic continuity (especially these days) but hey, you know, why not? Or maybe, why? RATING: MEH.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Lighter week worth of books, nothing was terrible, two jumps -- this is one heck of a good week for comics!

THE BUSINESS

T-shirts, stickers and even a hoodie: find the finest in indie comics merchandise in the Operative Network Store on the site and on Etsy.

Have you checked out season four of the free web comic Project Wildfire: The Once and Future King? While you can, read the whole thing for the best possible price: "free."

The writer of this column isn't just a jerk who spews his opinions -- he writes stuff too. A lot. Like what? You can get Scoundrel (historical fiction set in 1981 east Los Angeles), Irrational Numbers: Addition (a supernatural historical fiction saga with vampires), Project Wildfire: Enter Project Torrent (a collected superhero webcomic), The Crown: Ascension and Faraway, five bucks a piece, or spend a few more dollars and get New Money #1 from Canon Comics, the rambunctious tale of four multimillionaires running wild in Los Angeles, a story in Watson and Holmes Volume 2 co-plotted by 2 Guns creator Steven Grant, two books from Stranger Comics -- Waso: Will To Power and the sequel Waso: Gathering Wind (the tale of a young man who had leadership thrust upon him after a tragedy), or Fathom Sourcebook #1, Soulfire Sourcebook #1, Executive Assistant Iris Sourcebook #1 and Aspen Universe Sourcebook, the official guides to those Aspen Comics franchises. Love these reviews? It'd be great if you picked up a copy. Hate these reviews? Find out what this guy thinks is so freakin' great. There's free sample chapters too, and all proceeds to towards the care and maintenance of his kids ... oh, and to buy comic books, of course. There’s also a bunch of great stuff -- fantasy, superhero stuff, magical realism and more -- available from this writer on Amazon. What are you waiting for? Go buy a freakin' book already!

Got a comic you think should be reviewed in The Buy Pile? If we get a PDF of a fairly normal length comic (i.e. "less than 64 pages") by no later than 24 hours before the actual issue arrives in stores (and sorry, we can only review comics people can go to stores and buy), we guarantee to try and review the work, if remembered. Physical comics? Geddouttahere. Too much drama to store with diminishing resources. If you send it in more than two days before comics come out, the possibility of it being forgotten increases exponentially. Oh, you should use the contact form as the CBR email address hasn't been regularly checked since George W. Bush was in office. Sorry!

KEEP READING: EXCL.: Killers #2 Preview Shows Valiant's Deadliest Ex-Ninjas In Action